Fantastic Voyage (1966)

A scientist is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine is shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream with a small crew. Problems arise almost as soon as they enter the bloodstream.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Harry Kleiner (screenplay), David Duncan (adaptation)

Stars:

Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stephen Boyd	...	Grant
Raquel Welch	...	Cora
Edmond O'Brien	...	General Carter
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Michaels
Arthur O'Connell	...	Col. Donald Reid
William Redfield	...	Capt. Bill Owens
Arthur Kennedy	...	Dr. Duval
Jean Del Val	...	Jan Benes
Barry Coe	...	Communications Aide
Ken Scott	...	Secret Service
Shelby Grant	...	Nurse
James Brolin	...	Technician
Brendan Fitzgerald	...	Wireless Operator

Storyline

Scientist Jan Benes, who knows the secret to keeping soldiers shrunken for an indefinite period, escapes from behind the Iron Curtain with the help of CIA agent Grant. While being transferred, their motorcade is attacked. Benes strikes his head, causing a blood clot to form in his brain. Grant is ordered to accompany a group of scientists as they are miniaturized. The crew has one hour to get in Benes's brain, remove the clot and get out.

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Plot Keywords:

miniaturization | scientist | blood clot | submarine | traitor | 

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Taglines:

The most amazing science fiction ever conceived!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1966 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Microscopia

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena - 3939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,115,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,000,000, 31 December 1966

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Deluxe) (as De Luxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sound effects played over the opening credits were created for the computer in Desk Set (1957).

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Goofs

When the nurse is fitting the needle to the hypodermic, she is not wearing surgical gloves, although the machine operators are.

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Quotes

Cora: Listen, the heart.
Dr. Michaels: Yes, it's slowed down a great deal.
Grant: It sounds like heavy artillery.
Dr. Michaels: It throws down quite a barrage. Over 40 million beats in a year.
Dr. Duval: And every beat separates a man from eternity.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD edition has the following prologue: "The makers of this film are indebted to the many doctors, technicians and research scientists, whose knowledge and insight helped guide this production" The TV/Video version features this prologue instead: "This film will take you where no one has ever been before; no eye witness has actually seen what you are about to see. But in this world of ours where going to the moon will soon be upon us and where the most incredible things are happening all around us, someday, perhaps tomorrow, the fantastic events you are about to see can and will take place."

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Connections

Referenced in Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck (2013)

User Reviews

You're going to see things no one has ever seen before…

"Fantastic Voyage" follows a surgical team of three scientists: Dr Peter Duval, the top brain surgeon in the country (Arthur Kennedy); Cora Peterson, his technical assistant (Raquel Welch); Dr Michaels, chief of the medical mission (Donald Pleasance), plus the skipper of the ship (William Redfield) and Grant (Stephen Boyd) the security agent for security purposes...

The sealed vessel—The Proteus—is reduced down by a secret branch called CMDF (Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces) and injected into one artery of a defecting Russian scientist who has suffered brain injury and he's in a coma from an assassination attempt... The crew must navigate to the scientist's brain (within exactly 60 minutes) where Dr Duval will attempt to dissolve the coagulum with a laser beam… After that everything starts growing back to its original size…

"Fantastic Voyage" is a film of authentic wonder: An ocean of life, the corpuscles, the heart, the lungs of the human body through which the crew move are exquisitely designed in great detail with artistic quality...

The plot creates unceasing moments of suspense as the ship and its crew are continually threatened by the scientist's natural defenses: white corpuscles, reticular fibers, antibodies and other factors… Leonard Rosenman's futuristic score nicely complements the adventure on screen with the strange sound of the human blood rushing through arteries, veins, rhythmical muscular movements, and of course, the sabotage occurred on board…

With two Oscar Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction, 'Fatastic Voyage' is certainly the most unusual journey into the human body, where the 'medieval philosophers were right. Man is the center of the universe. We stand in the middle of infinity, between outer and inner space. And there's no limit to either.'